Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to hazardous event alert systems and methods, and, in particular, hazardous event alert systems and methods for trains.
Description of Related Art
There is a rapidly growing movement to transport more crude oil by rail as production exceeds the capacity of pipelines and existing rail networks. Additional transport by rail has enhanced concern of the potential for catastrophic events, such as train derailments.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has worked with the Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to improve the safety of such shipments. The FRA has issued an Order and Safety Advisory changing how hazardous materials are transported. Currently, railroads are required to develop and implement risk assessments and security plans when transporting hazardous materials. The US Department of Transportation has also been working to ensure that first responders are trained to properly handle incidents involving the transportation of hazardous materials.
Despite these efforts, first responders to hazardous events may be unaware of what types of hazardous materials may be present in the event of a derailment or other event. The engineer of the train is responsible to ensure that the crew is safe and to follow the railroad's emergency response plan. In the event of a hazardous event, the engineer would typically contact 911 and a dispatch office to inform them of the event. The dispatch office would then contact other trains on the network to inform them of the event. In such situations, neither the engineer nor the dispatch office has much time available to contact first responders or to provide instruction to those responding to the event.
Thus, there are efforts to improve the safety of such shipments, including development and implementation of risk assessments and security plans for transporting hazardous materials and training of first responders to properly handle incidents involving the transportation of hazardous materials.